House hunters take just 27 minutes to decide on buying a property, survey finds

Ross Robertson

House hunters in the North East take just 27 minutes on average making their mind up to buy a property, a survey has found.

The research, from property website Zoopla, found the typical decision to buy a home when viewing it in person takes 27 minutes - around the same length of time as an episode of Coronation Street.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of home owners surveyed said they knew the property was right for them in 10 minutes or less.

People were found to take longer deliberating over buying a smartphone or a tablet than they were their home. The decision to buy a smartphone took 46 minutes on average, while those who owned a tablet spent 36 minutes on average making their minds up, the survey of more than 2,000 people found.

Across Britain, buyers in the east of England deliberate the longest, at 32 minutes on average, while those in the East Midlands are the quickest, taking just under 26 minutes on average to decide to buy.

Over half (51%) of home owners surveyed said they had made an offer on the same day they viewed their property.

The ability to make a quick decision over a property could partly be down to many people having done their homework before property viewings. The average house hunter was found to have spent 75 hours on average in their search, including visiting websites and going to see estate agents.

Lawrence Hall, a spokesman for Zoopla, said: "The process of buying a home is a hugely emotive one."

He said that while making a quick decision can help to secure a property in a fast-moving market, buyers should also keep a "strong head" and build up their knowledge before viewing a property and making an offer. They could do this with online research as well as by speaking to a local estate agent.

Here is the average length of time in minutes that people spent looking around a property before deciding to make an offer, according to Zoopla.